1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for generating energy and more particularly, to a method and apparatus which may be used in combination with a scrubber and a furnace and which is effective to increase the efficiency of operation of the furnace while reclaiming otherwise wasted energy, and to a new and novel scrubber and furnace.
2. Background of the Invention
Furnaces are used in a wide variety of applications in which material is to be burned or incinerated. Further, oftentimes a scrubber is used in combination with many such furnaces, and functions to clean or remove various types of particulates which emanate from the gaseous type output of the furnace (these particulates are formed in the burning process), and then to allow the substantially “cleaned” output of the furnace to emanate into the environment.
While such furnaces do indeed desirably incinerate a wide variety of materials, and while such scrubbers do indeed clean the material emanating from such furnaces, the furnaces and the scrubbers often require much energy with which to operate and are relatively inefficient. Typically such energy, which is consumed by the various furnaces and scrubbers, is created by the burning of coal which further undesirably impacts our environment.
There is therefore a need for a method for increasing the energy efficiency of such furnaces and scrubbers and the present inventions provide such a methodology. There is therefore a further need for a new and improved furnace and/or scrubber assembly and the present inventions do indeed provide such a new and improved furnace and scrubber assembly. The present inventions also provided many other benefits which will be more fully set forth and apparent from the discussion set forth below.